MELBOURNE, Fla. (Oct. 21, 2011) — Three Melbourne International Airport Police officers were honored at the monthly Melbourne Airport Authority board meeting Wednesday for their quick actions last month to save a passenger in cardiac arrest.

At approximately 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 3, airport officers Brian Thompson, Richard Sadulski and Matthew Shannon responded to a report of an unresponsive female in a terminal restroom.­­­

They quickly determined the woman was not breathing and had no pulse. The officers went into action and began resuscitation with an AED (automated external defibrillator) and CPR.

Shannon operated the AED, Sadulski assisted in positioning the woman and monitored the AED and Thompson manually maintained an airway for rescue breathing. All of this took place in a cramped hallway.

The officers treated the woman for almost seven minutes before advanced life support arrived. The officers assisted paramedics by handing them supplies and helped load the woman onto a backboard, stretcher and the ambulance.

Sadulski later arrived at Holmes Regional Medical Center and was told by the emergency department staff that the woman had regained a pulse. They told him the officers’ quick actions and immediate CPR helped save the woman’s life.

Airport police officers are trained and certified as first-responders and are recertified every two years, said Melbourne International Airport Police Chief Michael Brewer. He added that last month’s life-saving efforts were the first at the airport in his 19-year tenure.

Shannon has worked for the airport police department since September 2000, Thompson since December 2001 and Sadulski since December 2008.

About Melbourne International Airport

Melbourne International Airport serves east Central Florida, including Brevard and Indian River counties, and is responsible for generating more than $1 billion per year in economic activity. It is among the nation’s fastest-growing aviation manufacturing and maintenance hubs, and is the closest international airport to Port Canaveral, one of the world’s busiest cruise ports. Led by Executive Director Richard A. Ennis and Melbourne Airport Authority Board Chairman Harry Goode, the airport operates three runways, a 200,000-square-foot terminal and offers multiple FBOs. Melbourne International Airport is home to more than 75 tenant businesses including Northrop Grumman, General Electric, Rockwell Collins, LiveTV, Embraer and Harris Corp. The airport currently serves Delta Air Lines, Delta Connection, US Airways and Baer Air. For more information, visit www.mlbair.com.

-MLB-

PHOTO CAPTION: Melbourne International Airport Police Officers Matthew Shannon, Richard Sadulski and Brian Thompson are joined by Melbourne Mayor Harry Goode and Airport Executive Director Richard Ennis (from left) while displaying their Life Saver Awards. The official commendations from the Melbourne International Airport Police and City of Melbourne Fire Department recognize the officers’ actions on Sept. 3 to help resuscitate a passenger in cardiac arrest.